The Politics of Nature's Fury

The cyclonic rainstorm that hit Kolkata is purported to have caused a handful of deaths. But an interesting offshoot has been how the storm has created a political stage for the state legislature to exploit, and that too with elections around the corner. The Trinamul Congress leader Mamata Bannerjee announced the cancellation of a trip to Delhi as a step needed in a hour of crisis. The political gameplay bears striking resemblance to the 1978 floods that had the then CPM Government utilize it for electoral gains.

Delving into the lack of disaster management infrastructure, the current state Government in Bengal, Mamata dug at previous ruling parties evidently forgetting her own stints, and lack of productive governance thereof. Just goes to show that when it comes to political motivation, even nature's fury is a prospective weak area to be tapped into.

Second Innings as PM

The top news of the day seems to be Manmohan Singh being sworn in as the Prime Minister of India. And he now holds of the honor of being only the second PM to have taken office twice in a row, after Nehru, and that too after having served one full term. The Congress-led coalition did take up the elections with a substantial win, but with the exit of the regional DMK in the south there is only a slight dent to its supprot. The Congress promises another term of social reforms and economic stability, but that remains to be seen!

Indeed two consecutive terms is quite a rarity in the Indian legislature. Typically the Indian parliament elections have always exhibited an anti-incumbent outlook, and it is not rare for the top political parties to alternate as the ruling government. This is quite unlike the US where the Democrats and the Republicans can expect terms back to back, of course assuming theit times in office were fairly successful. Only time will tell if this win for the Congress works in its favor, and whether it proves its merit.